WASHINGTON – The superhyped launch of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s new book isn’t doing much for her popularity, a new national poll yesterday found.

In a Quinnipiac University survey, 18 percent of Americans say “Living History” makes them think less favorably of New York’s junior senator.

The book makes just 8 percent think more favorably of her.

Most of those polled – 67 percent – said the new memoir of her White House years won’t affect their view of the polarizing former first lady.

The poll also showed that if Clinton were running for president, she would do far better than any of the other nine Democratic hopefuls.

Among Democrats, 40 percent preferred Clinton, compared to 16 percent for Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, 10 percent for Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri and 8 percent for Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts. The other candidates fare even worse.

Head-to-head against Bush, Clinton would get 40 percent to the president’s 53 percent, the poll said.

Clinton has said repeatedly she won’t run in 2004, but many expect her to take a shot at the White House in 2008.

The poll showed Bush far ahead of all of his nine Democratic challengers in next year’s election.

“President Bush easily beats the new author and the big-three declared Democratic candidates,” said Maurice Carroll, head of the Quinnipiac Polling Institute.

The one bright note for Democrats is that Bush’s approval rating has slipped – to 57 percent from 73 percent in April – mostly because of economic worries, Carroll said.

On the economy, 50 percent disapproved of the job Bush is doing, while just 45 percent approve.

The Quinnipiac telephone poll of 865 registered voters was conducted between June 4-9 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Among the 331 Democrats surveyed, the poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.

Although the book hasn’t helped her poll numbers, Clinton drew thousands of fans at a book signing last night at a Wal-Mart in Fairfax, Va. – a conservative GOP bastion.

Meanwhile, Clinton expressed disappointment that Republicans were resisting efforts to have a panel look into whether the White House lied when it claimed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.

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BY THE NUMBERS (chart)

Here’s how Americans feel about Sen. Clinton and President Bush on various questions.

If you’ve read the book, do you view Clinton more or less favorably?

Yes: 8 %

No: 18 %

Neither: 67 %

Have you heard about Clinton’s book?

Yes 76 %

No 23 %

Do you approve of George Bush?

Yes: 57 %

No: 35 %

Do you approve of his handling of the economy?

Yes: 45%

No: 50 %

(Source: Quinnipiac Univserity. The poll of 865 registered voters was conducted between June 4th and 9th and has a sampling error margin of plus or minus 3 percentage points.)